What could hurt the Red Sox more than the 7-20 September collapse and the unbelievable news that followed (fried chicken, beer, video games and painkillers)? Hmm. How about David Ortiz wearing pinstripes next season? What once seemed unthinkable is more possible than ever: Big Papi very well could join the Yankees.

Yep, just like Babe Ruth, Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens and Johnny Damon before him, Ortiz could join the Dark Side after several years with the Red Sox. In an interview with ESPNBoston.com, Ortiz complained that there was “too much drama” in the fallout of the Red Sox collapse.

“There’s too much drama. I have been thinking about a lot of things. I don’t know if I want to be part of this drama for next year,” Ortiz said.

How about the Yankees, then?

“That’s something I gotta think about,” Ortiz said. “It’s a good situation to be involved in. Who doesn’t want to be involved in a great situation where everything goes the right way?”

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Personally, it appears that Ortiz is just doing some classic free agent posturing. Why would he say he would never sign with the Yankees, the team with the most money? The best thing for Ortiz to do for himself is to create a big enough market for him to get one final multi-year deal.

Last season, Ortiz hit .309 with 29 HRs and 96 RBI and made $12.5 million. I think a two-year deal worth around $15 million (ideally less) would be a reasonable contract for a soon-to-be 36-year-old designated hitter.

While I think it was some free agent posturing, I do think he would consider signing with the Yankees if the Red Sox don’t low-ball him too much.